Cloud computing services have benefited greatly from open source software that gives providers ready access to the latest tools and updates. Open source KVM virtualization technology is one such example of a technology used by many vendors to help with cloud deployments.

ServerWatch details the most recent cloud service offering from The Planet which is built on KVM technology, but also leverages the freely available Ubuntu Lucid LTS release. The company explains why it passed on a commercial agreement with Ubuntu provider Canonical or using Red Hat's KVM.

The open source KVM virtualization technology is being promoted by many different vendors, often as a mechanism to help enable cloud deployments. Among the biggest backers of KVM are Linux vendors Red Hat and Ubuntu, though in at least one use case the solutions they're marketing aren't necessarily the solutions that cloud deployments are using.
Hosting provider The Planet recently launched a new cloud service offering built on KVM technology without the benefit of the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) or Red Hat's Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV).